Ruffler attachment for sewing-machines.



No. 882,323. PATENTED MAR. 1'7, 1908. A. G. LAMB.

RUFFLBR ATTAOHMENTPOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1906.

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Amherst QLamb.

$2) B h A y is Home UNITED STATES Pa ENT oEEIoE AMHERST G. LAMB, OF TORRINGTON, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO EXCELSIOR NEEDLE COMPANY, OF TORRINGTON, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

RUFFLER ATTACHIVIENT FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 17, 1908.

Application fifed May 22, 1906. Serial No. 318,126.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AMHERST G. LAMB, a citizen of the United States, residing in Torrington, in the county of Litchfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ruflier Attachments for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to and has for an object to provide improved ruffler attachments for sewing machines, and has particular reference to the adjustment of the length of stroke of the gathering or ruffler blade.

By the present improvement the gathering or rufiiing blade will be advanced to its forward position by mechanism preferably controlled by the needle bar of the sewing machine in its upward stroke, the down stroke of the needle bar will retract the blade a predetermined distance over the fabric and place it in position for gathering up the cloth and making the next ruffle. The entire stroke of the needle bar may be utilized for this backward movement, or the parts may be so adjusted that a certain amount of one stroke, for instance the down stroke, will be idle. In the present instance the link for advancing the ruffler blade will be engaged by a lug preferably fixed upon an arm engaging or controlled by the needle bar for advancing the blade to the forward end of its stroke, Such forward end of the stroke being constant. Another lug will be provided for adjustment rigidly with such arm for returning the blade to its backward position. The various parts are so constructed that they cooperate in forming an efficient structure and one having considerable stability. The operative parts for controlling the gathering or ruffling blade are mounted upon a single stud, and since the parts have movement one relative to the other upon such stud these cannot be fixed rigidly to the stud, but there must be a working fit upon the stud, and one relatively to the other; but those parts which have all their movements in unison after adjustment will be so securely held together that whatever play is had upon the stud will be compensated for, and the parts which have movement relative to these will be steadied.

In the drawings accompanying and form ing a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a form of ruffler provided with a practicable embodiment of the present improvement; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the device looking at the same from the opposite side to that seen in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a face View of an actuating arm formed for the engagement of the needle nut of the Sewing machine needle bar. Fig. 4. is a view of such arm as seen from the left hand end in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a face view of a form of link for connection between the actuating arm and the ruffler blade. Fig. 6 is an edge view of this link. Fig. 7 is a face view of the plate or member for the retraction of the ruffler blade and Fig. 8 is an edge view of the blade illustrated in Fig. 7, a vertical section-of the set nut, and the set screw in elevation are shown.

The form of the ruffler parts of the device are not a part of the present improvement, and therefore will simply be described in a general way. These parts are carried by a frame, designated in a general way by 10, which in the present practice of the sewing machine attachment industry will be made out of sheet metal, as are substantially all of the other parts of the device. The frame has a portion 11 for attachment to the sewing machine presser bar after the removal of the presser foot. The frame also carries a separator plate 12 above which the gathering or rufHer blade 13 is arranged for reciprocation. The frame may also carry some suitable and desirable guides, in the present instance two such guides, designated by 14 and 15, are illustrated. The ruffler blade is carried in the present instance by an arm 16 laterally projecting from a slide or reciprocatory bar 17, which has a slot 1.8 guided by a pin 19 carried by the frame. The frame has an upstanding portion 20 which affords a bearing for the stud 21 upon which the actuating arm 22 and the link 23 are pivotally mounted, in conjunction with the plate 24. It will be seen that the portion of the frame 20 and the link 23 are embraced between the arm 22 and the plate 24. The link 23 is pivoted at 25 to the slide 17, and is provided at its back end with an engaging face 26 for the engagement of a face carried by the arm 22 in the upward movement of the forward end ofthe arm and the downward movement of the back end; such face in the present instance is upon a transversely disposed lug 27 upon the rear of the arm, which arm upon being elevated, in the present instance by means of the needle nut freely riding in the space 28 between the arms 29, will give the advance stroke to the rufider blade. In the present illustration the lug 27 is fixed relative to the arm 22 and the limit of the forward movement of the ruflier will consequently be fixed and constant. The return or backward movement of the ruffler blade is effected by means of an engaging face, in the present instance carried by a lug 30 extending from the plate 24, and in such a position that it will engage a face, as for instance a face 31 of the link 23 upon the backward movement of the lug and the downward movement of the for ward end of the actuator arm, the plate 24 is adjustable upon the stud 21 and after adjustment is rigidly secured to the arm 22 and together they move about the axis of the stud. Such adjustment of the plate relative to the arm determines the backward movement of the ruffler blade over the fabric, and conse uently determines the amount of fabric whifih will be gathered up for the next succeeding ruffle in the next rufliing operation. The adjustment is effected and secured by means of a stud 32 rigid with the plate 24 passing through a slot 33, in the present instance sector shaped and in the upstanding portion 34 of the arm 22. A block 35 is shown surrounding the stud 32 and rigid with the same and with the plate 24, in the present instance such block is of a thickness equal to the thickness of the portion 20 of the frame member and the link 23 in addition to the amount of space required for the proper working of the parts. After the plate 24 has been adjusted u on the stud relative to the arm 22 it will be ocated in its position of adjustment by means of a set nut 36 upon the screw stud 32. This will com pel the arm and plate to move in unison and to move the ruflier blade by engaging the link upon the up and down strokes of the arm. The whole device is steadied by means of the above described connection be- I tween the plate and the arm. The stud 21 may be riveted or staked, as the case may be, into the arm 22 and moved with the same, and upon the plate 24 being clamped to the arm these two members will control the stud and there will be but little play between the other parts which are mounted upon the stud and these parts which carry the same. It will be seen that the adjustment of the plate, as for instance by moving the stud toward the left in Fig. 1 to the full extent of its movement, will cause the link to be grasped between the engaging members 27 and 30 which will then move the link without any lost motion. The movement, however, of the stud toward the right in Fig. 1 will give a greater or less'amount of lost motion inthe flown stroke of the needle bar and a shorter or longer gathering or rufliing stroke.

When the device is made in substantially the manner herein indicated in the drawings, having a sheet metal frame 10, the upstanding portion 20 will present two flat side faces, I and the actuator arm 22 will resent a flat side face against one of such si e faces of the upstanding portion 20, the stud 21 will be securely fastened to such arm 22 and find a bearing in the upstanding portion 20 of the frame. The link 23, which is mounted loose upon said stud 2] and is pivoted to the device carrying the ruffler blade 13, will also present two flat faces, one of which engages the flat face of the upstanding portion 20 upon the opposite side to that engaged by the arm, and the other side of said link 23 will be engaged by the side of the plate 24, which will be adjustable relative to the arm 22, the arm 22 and plate 24 carry lugs or other engaging faces 27 and 30 which will engage the edges 26 and 31 of the sheet metal link 23. It will be seen that the stud 21 together with a set screw 32 is rendered highly efficient in imparting rigidity to the device by means of these flat face engagements.

Having described my invention I claim:

1. In a ruffler attachment for sewing machines embodying a frame and a reciprocatory ruffler blade, the combination with a link pivoted to the blade, of an arm having a fixed face for engaging the link and shifting the ruflier blade in one direction, a plate adjacent to said arm and having a face for engaging the o Iposite side of said link and returning the ade, said arm having a slot, a screw stud traversing said slot and rigidly carrlied by the plate, anda set nut upon said stuc 2. In a ruflier attachment for sewing machines, the combination with a frame, of a ruflier blade reciprocatory upon the frame, a link pivoted to said frame and engaging said rufl'ler blade, an arm pivoted concentrically with said link and having means for engaging one side of said link for shifting the same in one direction, said arm having a slot, a plate having means for engaging the opposlte side of said link, a stud traversing said slot and carried by said plate, and a set nut upon said stud.

In a ruffler attachment for sewing ma- 115 chines, the combination with a frame, of a ruffier blade reciprocatory relative to the frame, a pivot stud mounted upon the frame,

a link pivoted on said stud and pivoted to the rear of said blade, an arm pivoted on said 120 stud and projecting forwardly of the blade for the engagement of a sewing machine needle bar and having a face at the rear of said link for engaging the same, a plate pivoted on said stud and having a face for engaging the 125 front of said link, said arm having an upstanding portion provided with a sector slot,

a screw stud carried by said plate and traversing said slot, and a nut upon said stud.

4. In a rufiier attachment for sewing In'a- 130 chines, the combination wlth a frame, of a rufiler blade reciprocatory relative to the frame, a pivot stud carried by the frame, a link pivoted on said stud and pivoted to the rear of said blade, an arm ivoted on said stud and projecting forward y of the blade screw stud carried by said upstanding p0rtion of the plate and traversing said slot, a nut u on said stud, and a block upon said stud etween the plate and arm equal in width to the thickness of the frame and link in addition to sufficient working space.

5. In a rufller attachment for sewing machines, the combination with a sheet metal frame having an upstanding portion, of a rufHer blade reciprocatory 0n the frame, a sheet metal arm having a portion for engaging an operative part of the sewing machine, a stud mounted in said u standing ortion of the frame and fast with t 1e arm, a at face of said arm being in engagement with a flat face of said frame at one side, a sheet metal link pivoted upon said stud and having a flat face in engagement with a flat face of said frame opposite that engaged by the arm, a sheet metal late pivoted upon said stud and having a 'I' at face in enga ement with a flat face of the link opposite that which engages the face of the frame, said arm having a lug for engaging one edge of the link, said plate having a lug for engaging the opposite edge of said link, said arm having a slot, a screw stud carried by the plate and traversing said slot, a set nut upon said stud, and a block between said plate and arm at the region of the stud for maintaining these at their proper distance of separation.

AMHERST G. LAMB. Witnesses:

MARY A. OMEARA, LOLA M. SENIOR. 

